Keynote: James Daunt
The CEO of Barnes & Noble discusses the state of bookselling, current initiatives, and plans for the future.
Anatomy of a Bestseller
How does a book become a bestseller when the author isn’t a celebrity or doesn’t have a mega platform? Publishers reveal the keys to positioning a title for success in various book categories.
- Sally Kim, SVP & Publisher, Putnam
- Arthur Levine, CEO, Levine Querido
- Karen Rinaldi, SVP & Publisher, Harper Wave
- Celina Spiegel, Co-CEO, Spiegel & Grau
- Moderator: Cherise Fisher, Literary Agent, Wendy Sherman Associates
Acquisition by Data
Publishers and agents increasingly are leveraging data and metadata in the acquisition process. Learn where they mine for this information, how it’s used to make decisions about categories and titles, the results of these initiatives, and how you can apply it to your own list.
- Christa Desir, Editorial Director of Bloom Books, Sourcebooks
- Peter Hildick-Smith President, Codex-Group LLC
- Richard Rhorer, Publisher, Simon Element
- David Walter, Executive Director, NPD BookScan
- Moderator: Regina Brooks, President, Serendipity Literary
Listen Up: Making Money from Audiobooks
Audiobooks are the fastest growing format in book publishing. Learn how to pitch projects for audio originals, what categories are best suited for audio originals and how to leverage backlist titles, as well as best practices to create an audio book that will have a sales life of its own.
- Lance Fitzgerald, VP of Content and Business Development, PRH Audio
- Anthony Goff, President, Blackstone Publishing
- Carol Mackey, Senior Acquisitions Editor, Recorded Books
- Scott Sherratt, Producer, Scott Sherratt Productions
- Moderator: Katie Kotchman, Literary Agent, Don Congdon Associates
The Fine Print: Ethics, Copyright, and Contracts
Representatives will provide an update on emerging legal, contracts, copyright and ethics issues and answer questions. What does it mean to double dip? How does AI affect copyright and contractual language? What does it mean operationally to be a fiduciary? No question too small. It’s the agent’s job to know the fine print.
- Vicky Bijur, President, Vicky Bijur Agency
- Ginger Clark, President, Ginger Clark Literary
- Gina Maccoby. President, Gina Maccoby Literary
- Jaime Wolf, Attorney, Pelosi Wolf Spates LLC
- Moderator: Lynn Johnston, President, Lynn Johnston Literary
Everything Flows from Sales: Understanding the Acquisition P&L
What goes into the P&L when a publisher is pursuing a book project? S&S’s Finance Director discusses what makes a perfect comp book, how much impact an author’s track record has, when editors get pushback on their sales projections, and what agents need to know about publishing math when pitching a project.
- Kristal Batanjany, Director of Finance, Simon and Schuster
The Campaign: Leveraging PR and Marketing
Industry pros discuss how authors can make the most of marketing and PR resources to launch their book, including what gets the publishing team excited, when to bring in outside help, and what currently moves books (and what doesn’t). How to leverage an author’s platform pre and post launch.
- Michelle Aielli, Associate Publisher, Hachette
- Alison Rich, SVP, Author Development, Penguin Random House
- Brianna Yamashita, Executive Director of Marketing, Scribner
- Natalie Ramirez, Director of Marketing & Imprint Partnerships, Zando
- Moderator: Audra Boltion-Ortiz, President & CEO, The Boltion Group Public Relations
Beating Back the Flames: The 4-Day Work Week and Solutions for Managing Burnout
The crisis is real when 89% of respondents in publishing say they are experiencing undue stress. This panel, featuring publishers that officially have gone to the four-day work week, shares their experiences with it and explores steps individuals, teams, and companies can take to manage burnout, as well as how agents and editors can work better together to alleviate stress..
- Jhanteigh Kupihea, Publisher, Quirk Books
- Ashton Lattimore, Publisher, Prism Reports
- Monika Woods, Founder, Triangle House
- Moderator: Emell Derra Adolphus, Writer, Publishers Weekly
All About Auctions
Agents and editors compare notes about best practices for structuring and executing successful auctions.
- Caitlin Blasdell, Liza Dawson and Associates
- Connie Hsu, Publisher, Roaring Brook Press
- Heather Jackson, Founder, Heather Jackson Agency
- Serena Jones, Executive Editor, Henry Holt
- Tanya McKinnon, Founder & President, McKinnon Literary
- Eric Nelson, Executive Editor, Harper
- Moderator: David Moldawer, President, Bookitect
How to Talk About Books
How do you get people not only to buy and read a book but also talk about it with friends and colleagues in a way that draws others to it? From op-eds to podcasts to BookTok, learn what makes book lovers and casual readers notice and care.
- Miwa Messer, Executive Producer, Barnes and Noble
- Maiysha Kai, Host of Writing Black Podcast, The Grio
- Felicity Vallence, Director of Digital Marketing, Penguin Random House
- Moderator: Soumeya Bendimerad Roberts, Literary Agent & VP, Foreign Rights, HG Literary
When the “It” Hits the Fan
A panel discusses the impact of cancel culture, book banning, political correctness and what the industry can and should do about it.
- Charlotte Clymer, Writer and Activist, Charlotte’s Web Thoughts
- Lisa Sharkey, Director of Creative Development, HarperCollins
- Cheryl Davis, General Counsel, Authors Guild
- Adrian Zackheim, Founder and Publisher, Portfolio and Sentinel Books Moderator: Tara Parker Pope, Washington Post
AALA People of Publishing Conference 